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Featured Stories National Museum of Scotland named 'Scotland's best new place' Brian Ferguson, Scotsman.com, 3 March 2012 SCOTLAND – "The new-look National Museum of Scotland picked up another major honour at the "Oscars" of British architecture in Edinburgh last night. The £46 million revamp of the historic attraction in the capital was one of the six main winners at the UK Civic Trust Awards, which were held at The Hub building on the Royal Mile. It was hailed by the judges as offering "one of the most memorable architectural experiences in the UK." Project architect Gareth Hoskins, who was born in the city, was officially honoured for the museum overhaul, which saw the old Royal Museum building on Chambers Street closed for several years to undergo a dramatic transformation." Miami's New Museum of Science Boasts a Shark-Filled Atrium Architizer, Flavorwire.com, 7 March 2012 MIAMI, FL – Last week, construction broke ground on the new Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Bicentennial Park in Miami. Apart from the green gizmos the 250,000 square-foot-building will sport, including and not limited to rain/energy collectors and a data center that will monitor the structure's energy performance, the most striking aspect of the design, by Grimshaw Architects, is its 600,000 gallon aquarium, under which – if the renderings are to be believed–visitors will frolic in evening wear, sipping cocktails beneath the auspices of feeding sharks. Yes, sharks. Putting the jigsaw pieces of Arabia's lost history together Arab News, 2 March 2012 DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA – "American national Elinor Nichols could never have guessed nearly half-a-century ago that a visit with her late husband Roger Nichols to a remote sand-buffeted fort in the eastern desert of the Kingdom would spark a journey that would see her return as a royal guest. On that day in 1963, the Nichols were on one of the couple's regular excursions into the desert, one that took them to an aged fortification on the isolated Al-Sarrar Escarpment. Roger Nichols had arrived in Dhahran in 1956 as the lead investigator with the Aramco/Harvard School of Public Health Trachoma Research Project. Elinor followed a year later with their two daughters. "We spent a lot of time in the desert because Roger was scraping the eyes and studying the Bedouin eye health situations in connection with the research. On one of his trips, he heard about some fortresses on top of the hills in the Sarrar Escarpment," Elinor Nichols is quoted as saying in a special feature on Saudi Aramco's website. Exploring one of the fortresses on that trip and later visits, they happened upon ancient pottery remains and two bulky stone grinders. "They so interested us that we brought them home." And at their home on Bailey's Island, Massachusetts, they would stay — some 10,000 km away over land and sea and more than four decades from that day in the dusty fort. Down the years that passed, the archaeological treasure trove was stored and brought out occasionally for display before the intrigued eyes of interested visitors. There they remained until a call went out from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). Keen to reconnect and reunite with the objects of Saudi Arabia's past, the SCTA, in tandem with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, set upon a quest to find the country's worldwide diaspora of archaeological treasures and antiquities. Their task is like assembling the jigsaw of a lost history, and many of the repatriated exhibits are now on display in the National Museum in Riyadh."
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Our Clients and Lord Cultural Resources in the News Cultural master plan passed Document to guide decisions for next 15 years Peter Boer, St. Albert Gazette, 7 March 2012 ST. ALBERT, AB – "Members of the arts community encouraged St. Albert city council Monday night to give its approval to the city’s cultural master plan, which councillors did with a unanimous vote. Of six individuals and groups that spoke before the scheduled vote, five spoke in support of the document, which will guide future decisions on the city’s arts, heritage and cultural footprint for the next 15 years. [text omitted] RC Strategies, the same group contracted to develop the recreation master plan passed by council last month, was also hired to develop the cultural master plan, which it then subcontracted to Lord Cultural Resources." Chicago Cultural Plan: Residents sound off on city's blueprint for the arts Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune, 2 March 2012 CHICAGO, IL – "Chicagoans listened intently as city officials solicited their opinions on the new Cultural Plan, the first to be developed since the mid-1980s. And then Chicagoans and suburbanites — some dressed in business suits, others in jeans — sounded off on what they want to see happen in cultural Chicago. Which was precisely the idea. The city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has decided to build the new Chicago Cultural Plan on the voices of citizens. Or at least that's the goal, the theory being that if everyday Chicagoans, as well as the culturally connected, articulate what they want, a cash-strapped city government has a better shot at making the most of its dwindling resources. (The department's annual budget dropped from $32.8 million in 2011 to $29.2 million in 2012.) But no one could have anticipated the standing-room-only crowds that jammed most of the meetings, nor the eruption of ideas that ensued. [text omitted] Early in the first town hall, at Columbia, city officials and representatives from Lord Cultural Resources — the firm that's helping produce the Cultural Plan — laid out the ground rules. After a PowerPoint presentation by a Lord staffer, the Columbia audience would divide into work groups. Each would try to answer three questions: What is a cultural experience in Chicago that impacted you? What is your vision for cultural Chicago by 2030? How do we get from here to there? "The democratization of culture is what this plan is about," Lord senior consultant Orit Sarfaty told the crowd at Columbia." IBM software transforms the Paris' Louvre into Europe's first smarter museum Recent News, artdaily.org, 7 March 2012 LAS VEGAS, NV – "IBM announced that it is working with the Louvre Museum in Paris to preserve and protect its facilities and artwork, which covers more than 650,000 square feet, making it one of the largest museums in the world. Established in the 18th century, the Louvre is home to thousands of objects and artifacts ranging from prehistory to 1848, including the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa. To preserve and protect its facilities and world-famous artwork, the museum staff handles more than 65,000 repairs and maintenance visits per year. Through the use of IBM Maximo Asset Management software the museum’s staff has been able to streamline their maintenance processes to improve customer service as well as the efficiency, real-time operation and management of the museum." [See also IBM makes Louvre a 'smart museum', The Times of India, 6 March 2012] "Osons pour Beaubourg une politique de marque" (Entretien - Alain Seban, président du Centre Pompidou) Le Monde, 1 mars 2012 PARIS, FRANCE – "Alain Seban, 47 ans, a été reconduit pour trois ans à la présidence du Centre Pompidou lors du conseil des ministres du mercredi 29 février. Polytechnicien et énarque, ancien conseiller pour l'éducation et la culture de Jacques Chirac à l'Elysée, il est en poste à Beaubourg depuis 2007. Il défend son bilan, dévoile ses projets et répond aux critiques." En attendant les expositions Matisse et Dali Le Monde, 1 mars 2012 PARIS, FRANCE – "Outre son projet de "mondialiser" le Centre Pompidou, Alain Seban prévoit de rénover les "infrastructures techniques" du bâtiment. Le coût est estimé à 200 millions d'euros." Walters Art Museum director Gary Vikan to step down Led museum for 18 years, now eager to try other pursuits Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun, 7 March 2012 BALTIMORE, MD – "Gary Vikan, who has been a dynamic force at the helm of the Walters Art Museum for 18 years, will leave the post of director in June 2013, or when his successor is in place." DESTINATION EDUCATION: ROM's new pricing makes it a perfect place for children Sylvia Chang, InsideToronto.com, 7 March 2012 TORONTO, ON – "Most Torontonians know our hallmark museum - the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) - underwent a massive renaissance over the last decade. Many Torontonians have even walked past and marvelled at the much-debated Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, which marks the new entrance. Sadly, most Torontonians have not been inside the newly renovated museum because of the high cost of tickets. That is, until now." Setting up The Encampment People asked to participate in unearthing the stories of the War of 1812 Erin Hatfield, Inside Toronto, 5 March 2012 TORONTO, ON – "Romance and heartbreak, plot twists and tragic deaths at sea, the stories of the people involved in the War of 1812 can be shocking and soap opera-like. But according to a duo of artists behind a site-specific installation called The Encampment, it is when you learn about the people that brings the historic war to life. "It is not about line-ups of soldiers shooting each other, although that is important, no doubt it helped define the boundaries and the future of the country, but at the same time it was those people and their stories..." that brings the war to life, explained Thom Sokoloski, who along with Jenny-Anne McCowan, is working to unearth those stories for the art installation. The Encampment, a commission by Luminato and the City of Toronto for the War of 1812 commemoration, will take place on the grounds of Historic Fort York, where 200 tents will be set up referencing the 200 years since the War of 1812. [text omitted] The Encampment at Fort York will be the largest temporal public participatory art work in the history of Canada, Sokoloski said." Latin American art springs forth in California museums In exhibits, exchanges and programs, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and other institutions are examining fresh topics and weaving the work into a global fabric Suzanne Muchnic, Special to the Los Angeles Times, 4 March 2012 LOS ANGELES, CA – "It's only natural, given their proximity to Mexico and rapidly growing Latino constituencies, that California art museums would be engaged with Latin American material. But the robust lineup of exhibitions, exchanges and educational programs indicates that the days of focusing on historic "treasures" or romanticized figures such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are over. Museum directors and curators are talking about examining fresh topics and weaving Latin American art into a global fabric — in projects that require inter-departmental collaboration, international networking and community outreach. [text omitted] The action is most apparent at LACMA, where director Michael Govan has overseen a quickening parade of exhibitions covering a broad sweep of history." Rock on the roll to L.A. for art's sake John Rogers (Associated Press), North County Times, 4 March 2012 LOS ANGELES, CA – "After months of preparation, a massive boulder has begun its 105-mile journey to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The 340-ton chunk of granite that acclaimed earth artist Michael Heizer selected to be the centerpiece of his latest creation left a dusty rock quarry in Riverside last Tuesday. The boulder will make a circuitous journey through nearly two dozen Southern California cities to the museum's backyard, where it is to become the focal point of Heizer's "Levitated Mass." Royal Alberta Museum goes hands-on for the blind CBC News, 3 March 2012 EDMONTON, AB – "Some special visitors to the Royal Alberta Museum got the rare chance to get hands-on with the museum's exhibits this weekend. [text omitted] Five-year-old Matthew Silivus usually doesn't visit the museum. Matthew is blind, so he can't see the museum's collection of wildlife inside glass display cases, out of reach. But this weekend, kids like Matthew were able to get up close to the exhibits. Visitors with partial or no sight were able to touch many of the museum's stuffed animals and wildlife skeletons." L'univers arabe par-delà l'Islam Eric Bietry-Rivierre, Le Figaro, 2 March 2012 PARIS, FRANCE – "L'Institut du monde arabe a revu son musée de fond en comble. La nouvelle scénographie privilégie le multiculturalisme et ne se contente pas de montrer des beaux objets." Cultural heritage skills blueprint to be updated Pete Hayman, Leisure Opportunities, 1 March 2012 LONDON, ENGLAND – "Parts of the Cultural Heritage Blueprint, the document setting out recommendations for the development of the sector's workforce over the next 10 years, are to be updated. The Museums Association (MA) will work alongside Creative and Cultural Skills (CCS) - the sector skills council - to revise the blueprint amid recent changes within the industry." America's Black Holocaust Museum reopens on web Wausaudailyherald.com, 6 March 2012 MILWAUKEE, WI – "America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee has reopened on a newly launched website. Museum board member Fran Kaplan says board members continued to brainstorm ways to revive the institution after the doors closed in 2008 due to funding problems." [See also America's Black Holocaust Museum Goes Viral: The 24-year-old gallery is now displayed online, By Danielle Wright, BET, 3 March 2012] Back to Top Museums Raconter les femmes par le musée Lydie Olga Ntap, Le Devoir, 8 mars 2012 [GLOBAL] – "Apparus dans les grandes années du mouvement féministe, les Musées de la femme tracent les contours d'une histoire des femmes face à une histoire déclinée au masculin ou au neutre. Le Musée des femmes de Bonn, premier musée de ce type créé dans le monde, est installé sur 3000 mètres carrés, dans un quartier ouvrier et universitaire de Bonn." What's next for the NAC? In the next 3 years, the National Arts Centre will lose its heads of English and French theatre and its music director, maybe even its CEO. How will it weather the change? Peter Simpson, The Ottawa Citizen, 7 March 2012 OTTAWA, ON – "It's usually a sudden plot turn in the National Arts Centre theatre that leave you wondering "what next?" Now it's a question in the highest offices of management, where most of the lead actors are leaving the stage, with the director perhaps not far behind." HMCS Sackville memorial centre plans underway Project could cost more than $50 million CBC News, 7 March 2012 HALIFAX, NS – "A multimillion-dollar naval memorial and heritage centre featuring HMCS Sackville could take several years before it becomes a reality, but plans for the project are already underway." Revelstoke bid one of five applicants for Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum Aaron Orlando, Revelstoke Times Review, 7 March 2012 REVELSTOKE, BC – "Revelstoke is one of five applicants bidding to be the new home of the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum – and the decision is expected in the next few months." [See also Rossland hoping for ski hall of fame, By Arne Petryshen, Rossland News, 7 March 2012] Louisiana secretary of state forewarns of possible museum closures, layoffs Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune, 7 March 2012 LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES – "The secretary of state's office would have to eliminate at least 10 percent of its authorized staff and could consider shutting down state museums under proposed budget cuts for next year. In part, the issue of what happens to the museums hinges on exactly how Gov. Bobby Jindal's pension overhaul efforts play out." New Taipei City Museum of Art / by DCPP arquitectos Architecture List, 6 March 2012 TAIPEI CITY, TAIWAN – "Our proposal for the New Taipei City Museum of Art is an open and welcoming design that erases the barrier of exclusivity normally surrounding the world of art, patrons, and experts. As such, the architecture of the New Taipei City Museum of Art is one that embodies this idea of erasure through eliminating the traditional borders between exhibition space and circulation, as well as exterior and interior. Every part of the museum is represented by a space without limits that can hold any type of expression." Museum investment pays off, survey finds New and refurbished museums saw their visitor numbers vastly increase during 2011, showing that when it comes to attracting people through your doors, if you speculate, you accumulate. M & H News, 6 March 2012 UNITED KINGDOM – "According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), which has announced its members' visitor figures for 2011 this week, museums saw a real return on investment last year. One of the largest increases in visitors (141%) was seen by the newly refurbished National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, the most visited attraction outside of London." National Museum of Scotland is most visited outside of London The refurbished National Museum of Scotland was the most visited attraction outside of London last year, new figures show. BBC News, 5 March 2012 SCOTLAND – "The museum has had a 141% increase in visitor numbers since it reopened last summer following a £47m refurbishment. The Edinburgh museum's original target of a million visitors a year was passed within four months. The British Museum in London attracted the most visitors for the fifth year in a row, with 5.8 million people." [See also Refurbished museum proves popular, The UK Press Association, 5 March 2012] Museum in future for LaFontaine Mansion? Allison Lampert, Montreal Gazette, 6 March 2012 MONTRÉAL, QC – "The historic Maison Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine could be reinvented as a museum or offices for federal civil servants, owners of the decaying former mansion suggested Tuesday. “We're leaning towards a museum, but if it's not that it will be something else,” said developer Jack Arduini, minority partner in the company that owns the former residence of LaFontaine, the second Premier of Eastern Canada." Le MOCA de Los Angeles s'enfonce dans la crise Thomas Bizien, Le Journal des Arts, 6 mars 2012 LOS ANGELES, CA – "Accumulant les dettes depuis 2000, le Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) de Los Angeles n'arrive pas à sortir de l'impasse financière. Alors que plusieurs de ses cadres dirigeants viennent de donner leur démission, le musée prévoit un nouveau déficit pour l'année en cours." 'Gala' opens new museum's fund-raising effort Steve Norder, Star-Telegram, 5 March 2012 GRAPEVINE, TX – "In 1910, three years after the city was founded, residents decided they needed two things to ensure their community would grow and survive: electricity and ice. "The residents realized how important ice was to the community in the first half of the 20th century and into the second half," Paul W. McCallum, the director of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau told about 150 people last week during a fundraising "gala" for the Grapevine Historical Society. [text omitted] That connection to Grapevine's early history will be brought back as part of the remodeling already underway of a building at 206 W. Hudgins St. Once completed, the front of the building will have the look of the ice house building in the mid-century, when the company was owned by Wade C. Cummings. The inside will be the home of the Grapevine Historical Society's museum, becoming what McCallum described as the "crown jewel" in the center of a museum complex stretching from the new CVB headquarters building with its museum, to the Settlement to City Museum complex of historic buildings at the other end of the block. The society's museum will be moving from a crowded 900-square-foot space in the historic train depot to 3,000 square feet of space. The additional space will allow for more items to be displayed in a better arrangement, according to society members." Ann Goldstein Receives 2012 CCS Bard Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence E-Flux, 5 March 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (CCS Bard) has announced that the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence will be presented to Ann Goldstein, Director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, at a gala celebration and dinner on April 4, 2012 at Capitale in New York City." Cabot's Pueblo Museum added to national list of historic sites Mydesert.com, 5 March 2012 DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA – "Cabot's Pueblo Museum has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, the city of Desert Hot Springs announced Monday. With the new designation, the museum will be eligible for federal tax credits and grants for historic preservation. It will also be given special consideration in planning for federal projects." Fiorito: Grain elevator museum? The time has come Joe Fiorito, Toronto Star, 5 March 2012 THUNDER BAY, ON – "A pal of mine from high school passed through town the other day; in between flights, she had time for a bowl of soup and a game of catch-up. But Nancy Perozzo did not stop over for the simple reasons of nostalgia or minestrone. She came with a larger purpose in mind. Grain elevators. [text omitted] Today, there are just seven or eight elevators remaining on the Thunder Bay waterfront, compared to nearly 30 at the height of the grain trade on the lakes. Nancy said, "We want to start a movement to get one of the remaining elevators designated as a historical site. We want it set up as an interpretive centre." I know why, but I asked anyway. She said, "The elevators were a contributor to the nation; without them, it would have been impossible for western farmers to get their grain to market; and it's tied to the psyche of Thunder Bay." The psyche of my home town has been battered for a long time; the museum is a great idea. What's been done so far? There is, of course, a committee, and there have been discussions, high and low, and some of the preliminary exploratory work has been done." Museum of Natural Science holds expansion dedication ceremony Mike McDaniel, WLBT, 5 March 2012 JACKSON, MS – Leaders of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science showed off their latest expansion Monday. Senator Thad Cochran joined the museum to dedicate and tour the Mississippi Center for Conservation and Biodiversity. Before the expansion, many of the collections were near storage capacity. The museum houses more than one million scientific specimens. The 19,000 square foot addition will provide space for biologists to continue documenting and researching Mississippi's biological resources. Museum removes horns after thefts Belfast Telegraph, 5 March 2012 DUBLIN, IRELAND – "Rhino horns have been removed from the Natural History Museum over fears the exhibits will be stolen. Curators decided to replace the horns in the so-called Dead Zoo with replicas because of a spate of robberies across Europe that put visitors and staff at risk." Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Announces Opening Date of New Building and Inaugural Exhibition Innovative Structure Designed by Farshid Moussavi, Public Opening October 8, 2012, Features 13 International Artists Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Sacramento Bee, 5 March 2012 CLEVELAND, OH – "The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) will hold a public opening in celebration of its new building in the emerging Uptown district of University Circle on October 8, 2012." Scion To Launch The iQ Project Museum: A Digital Archive Of Rare Artifacts That Aims To Spotlight Under-Recognized Musicians. Scion Also Launches the Scion Awards Program SF Gate, 5 March 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "Scion A/V unveils today the Scion iQ Project Museum, a rich digital initiative created to preserve cultural movements, moments and musicians that are at risk of being lost. The first three online exhibits will feature rare artifacts from significant music moments; the LA Chicano punk scene, the Strata Records era and the early years of one of hip-hop's pioneers, Prince Paul. Link to the iQ Project Museum here: www.scioniqproject.com." Center for PostNatural History opens in Pittsburgh MuseumPublicity.com, 5 March 2012 PITTSBURGH, PA – "The Center for PostNatural History has opened its permanent exhibition facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Center for PostNatural History (CPNH) is dedicated to the research and exhibition of lifeforms that have been intentionally altered by humans, from the dawn of domestication to contemporary genetic engineering. The CPNH presents the postnatural world through diorama, taxidermy, photography and living exhibits, from engineered corn to Sea Monkeys to modified Chestnut Trees to BioSteel™ Goats." TheDC Exclusive: Documentary filmmakers try to get government funding for 'Museum of Government Waste' Alex Pappas, The Daily Caller, 5 March 2012 WASHINGTON, DC – "Could Congress be persuaded to spend taxpayer money on a Museum of Government Waste? That's what filmmakers Ellen and Jim Hubbard of Nevada have been trying to figure out for the last five years. The couple is releasing a film — set to come out this year — about their quest to obtain an earmark from Congress for a museum dedicated to wasteful government spending. [text omitted] But using private money, she and her husband plan to follow up on the film by actually opening up a Museum of Government Waste this year. David Williams of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance will run it. [text omitted] They're still working out the details, but the museum is slated to be in Washington. Williams plans to move his organization, the Tax Payers Protection Alliance, into the same space as the museum." The Corning Museum of Glass launches new website Recent News, artdaily.org, 5 March 2012 CORNING, NY – The Corning Museum of Glass has launched a redesigned website at http://www.cmog.org. The site offers new content, increased access to the Museum's collection and new user-friendly features. The front page serves as a starting point to explore 35 centuries of glass art: the site now features thousands of videos, articles, images and resources on glass and glassmaking. Private museums forced to close, seek new homes Wang Jie, China News Center, 4 March 2012 BEIJING, CHINA – "Shanghai has around 16 private museums and most are faltering. The successful ones are mainly industrial museums backed by industries such as textiles and banking. Wang Jie investigates. If China's new rich want yet another way to flaunt their wealth – one that will also benefit society – building and operating a private museum (named after oneself, of course) might be just the ticket." City Museum plans rust Mir Ayoob Ali Khan, Times of India, 3 March 2012 HYDERABAD, INDIA – "Hyderabad has many museums. But Hyderabad does not have one City Museum. We have the Salar Jung Museum (SJM) which is famous the world over. It is known more as "One Man Collection" than something which is exclusively devoted to the city. Since the objective of the collector Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, was different he probably never thought of putting together something related to his city alone. The collection at SJM is great-over 40,000 objects-from clocks to daggers to paintings and manuscripts to collected from different parts of the globe. It is also the biggest revenue earning museum in the country." Amid wealth of museums, New York's Hispanic treasure is forgotten The Hispanic Society of America, in the northern stretches of Manhattan, has a world-class collection but is often overlooked by U.S. tourists Ula Ilnytzky (Associated Press), The Seattle Times, 3 March 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "Situated behind a wrought-iron gate in upper Manhattan, the Hispanic Society of America is an imposing museum and research library. It has a world-class collection of Iberian art that includes works from such masters as Goya, Velazquez and El Greco, and monumental sculptures by Anna Hyatt Huntington, the wife of the society's founder. Yet the 104-year-old institution in Washington Heights is not high on the itinerary of many tourists — or even New Yorkers. Some don't even know it exists." LA's Getty Museum getting new chief John Rogers (Associated Press), The Arizona Republic, 3 March 2012 LOS ANGELES, CA – "An expert in ancient art who has overseen museums in England, the U.S. and his native Australia will be the next director of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Timothy Potts, most recently the director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England, will take the helm Sept. 1." With more than 175,000 visitors, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opens its art to the heartland Chuck Bartels (Associated Press), Recent News, artdaily.org, 2 March 2012 BENTONVILLE, AR – "A visitor arriving at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art sees a curved concrete facade with the museum's name and, behind it, a stand of trees on a hillside. Where's the museum? Get closer, then look down. A series of connected pavilions under curved copper roofs stretch through a tree-lined ravine. Two of the buildings serve as bridges over ponds filled from a spring-fed stream that flows through the site. To get in, just follow the wave of people going downstairs. Crystal Bridges is regarded as the most important museum to open in the U.S. in decades, and it has done so in a city of 35,000 in the Ozark Mountains that's served by a single interstate highway that terminates in the middle of town, not far from the headquarters of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. More than 175,000 people have made their way to the museum in the less than four months since it opened Nov. 11." MOCA loses three officials in key finance roles The departures of Gary Cypres, David M. Galligan and Sarah Sullivan plus two recent exits bring the museum's fiscal issues into focus. Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times, 2 March 2012 LOS ANGELES, CA – "Three Museum of Contemporary Art officials with key financial roles — the chief operating officer, fundraising director and a trustee who chaired the board's finance committee — have left MOCA in the last three months. They had been at their posts less than a year. Meanwhile, since Jeffrey Deitch became MOCA's director in mid-2010, efforts have stalled to pay down large deficits the museum incurred from 2000 to 2008 by illegally raiding its endowment. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of MOCA's finances, said it has projected a deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30." Désaccord entre les musées de Washington et d'Auschwitz sur le sort d'un baraquement du camp d'Auschwitz Le Journal des Arts, 2 mars 2012 WARSAW, POLAND– "Le Musée de l'Holocauste de Washington espère conserver un baraquement provenant du camp d'Auschwitz, malgré les demandes réitérées du Musée d'Auschwitz-Birkenau réclamant la restitution de ce prêt effectué aux États-Unis il y a plus de vingt ans." Lebanon museum wins spot in state program Francesca Kefalas, Norwich Bulletin, 2 March 2012 NORWICH, CT – "The Lebanon Historical Society Museum is going to school. The museum has been accepted to participate in StEPs-CT, a capacity-building program for smaller Connecticut museums, historical societies and other cultural organizations offered by the Connecticut Humanities Council and the Connecticut League of History Organizations. The program is designed to boost professionalism in museum operations." Turkey blocks loans to US and UK Multiple claims for antiquities at New York's Met, major exhibitions hit at London's British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum Martin Bailey, The Art Newspaper, Issue 233, March 2012 UNITED KINGDOM – "Turkey is refusing to lend artefacts to leading British and American museums until the issue of disputed antiquities is resolved. The ban means Turkey will not lend artefacts to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and London's British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). The British Museum had asked for 35 items for the exhibition “Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam” (until 15 April). Although Turkish museums were agreeable to the loans, the ministry of culture blocked them, leaving the British Museum to find alternative artefacts at short notice. As part of the growing Turkish campaign, loans have been blocked to museums with disputed objects in their collections." [See also Turkey Bans Loans to Museums in New York and London, Felicia R. Lee, The New York Times, 2 March 2012] Reopened museum 'is a symbol of national pride' Zhu Linyong, China Daily, 2 March 2012 BEIJING, CHINA – "A ceremony marking the official reopening of the renovated and enlarged National Museum of China was held on Thursday after a year of trial operation. "The imposing structure, well-equipped, and with a wonderful collection, well-trained staff, and superb services, has become a calling card for a nation with a 5,000 year civilization. It is a monument to China's cultural prosperity and a symbol of national pride," said Cultural Minister Cai Wu at the ceremony." [See also China's National Museum opens its doors after 4-year renovation, Journey Mart, 5 March 2012] Former director of Smithsonian's American Indian museum to lead DC's Textile Museum Associated Press, The Washington Post, 2 March 2012 WASHINGTON, DC – "The former director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian has been appointed interim director of Washington's Textile Museum as it moves to the campus of George Washington University. Museum board President Bruce Baganz announced the appointment Friday of W. Rick West to lead the museum's transition to a new home. Beginning in 2014, the museum will be housed on the Foggy Bottom campus in a new building to be joined with the historic Woodhull House." Corporates & HNIs can set up small art-viewing spaces to promote museum-going culture in India Deepika Sorabjee, The Economic Times, 2 March 2012 INDIA – "As delegates from foreign art museums wended their way to India this winter, perfectly timed to attend the India Art Fair, the buzzy new avatar of the India Art Summit, what did they want most? Were they here to buy contemporary art or were they looking for artists to work with or were they in search of funds? Wait a minute. Are we short of avenues to spend locally, after all? Can't our affluent classes, awash in cash, fund museums here? Can't that be an option? Well, our "givers" have their misgivings - government red tape, corruption, mismanagement of funds and so on. The truth is, unlike institutions of learning in professional courses, art museums could be managed with minimum interference from the government or others." Black history museums come alive James Culic, Niagara This Week, 2 March 2012 CANADA – "Mary Ann Shadd was born in Delaware in the early 1800s as a free black woman. But with the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, she felt that freedom being clawed back, and she fled to Canada. "The Act was created so slave-owning southerners could travel north and recapture any of their slaves who had fled to freedom, but what it did was open the door to kidnappers who would take freeborn African-Americans from the north and sell them into slavery in the south," explained Karen Shadd, the great-great-granddaughter of Mary Ann Shadd. Karen was speaking to students at St. Joseph Catholic School in Fort Erie on Friday, as part of a number of stops in the area to promote Black History Month and the government's new black history virtual museum. "There are lots of small black history museums spread across Canada, and what we've done with the virtual museum is bring them together and gather all that history into one place," said Karen." Rossland makes pitch for ski museum Timothy Schafer, Trail Daily Times, 2 March 2012 ROSSLAND, BC – "The City of Rossland is flexing its historical muscles as it attempts to lure the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum to the mountain kingdom. With a history as deep as its powder when it comes to downhill skiing — including Nancy Greene Raine, George Grey, Kerrin Lee Gartner and Olaus Jeldness, the father of competitive skiing in Canada — the city is a natural fit for the museum, said Rossland Mayor Greg Granstrom in a letter Thursday. On Jan. 8 the museum issued a call for proposals for new premises to be ready for the fall of 2012 as it prepares to vacate its building in Ottawa. [text omitted] A lack of funding has predicated the museum's move, with donations and memberships not adequately sustaining the growth in the collection and the need for a professional curator. The museum is now looking for over 4,000 sq. ft. of climate-controlled, easily accessible, exhibit, storage and office space, preferably in a high traffic area attractive to skiers of all disciplines and others interested in the history of skiing." 10ª Semana de Museus: mais de 3,4 mil eventos inscritos para a edição 2012 IBRAM, 1 March 2012 BRAZIL – "Foram encerradas no dia 29 de fevereiro, as inscrições para a 10ª Semana de Museus, que acontece entre 14 e 20 de maio de 2012. Mais uma vez, a iniciativa organizada pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Museus (Ibram/MinC) bateu recorde de inscritos: de acordo com os números preliminares, mais de 1.100 museus e organizações culturais se cadastraram para participar da temporada 2012, que este ano traz como tema Museus em um Mundo em Transformação – novos desafios, novas inspirações." Back to Top Architecture From Booths and Aisles to Temporary Cities: The Evolving Architecture of Art Fairs Janelle Zara, Blouin Artinfo, 8 March 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "Art fair." The words summon images of seemingly endless miles of monotonous booths, walking undistinguishable white aisle to undistinguishable white aisle through irritating, teeming crowds. It's suffocating. Over-packed. Sardine-like. Brooklyn-based architects Bade Stageberg Cox made sure to address this issue while redesigning the layout of this year's Armory Show in ways both subtle and obvious." La maison de la Mutualité rénovée par Jean-Michel Wilmotte Jenna Charmasson, Connaissance des Arts, 7 mars 2012 PARIS, FRANCE – "Après deux ans de chantier, la maison de la Mutualité à Paris a rouvert ses portes hier. Conçu par Victor Lesage et Charles Mitget au début des années 30, ce bâtiment à la façade Art Déco, classée Monument historique, a été entièrement rénové par l'architecte Jean-Michel Wilmotte." Architecture Offers Insight Into Global Matters Emily D'Alterio, Architecture Source, 6 March 2012 [GLOBAL] – "As psychologists learn more about the impacts architecture, both interior and exterior, has on our lives, the field is slowly creeping beyond the realm of aesthetic. Design is proving to be much more than meets the eye. We know that interior design choices from colour to ceiling height to greenery can deeply affect our health, well-being and attitude, but it also has the ability to reflect – and quite possibly affect – the zeitgeist of a people." Designing the Future Howard Hurst, Hyperallergic, 6 March 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "Lebbeus Woods is probably the most famous architect you've never heard of. Although, perhaps the word architect is limiting. Since the beginning of his career at a number of highbrow firms in the 1980s the architect, theorist and (I will venture) artist has weaved his off kilter brand of design in and out of a variety of mediums. He has become most famous for his temporary installations, pavilions, interventions and proposals that play with existing spaces, designs and systems. Woods' lectures and projects thrust architecture into heady, almost activist territory; the kind of stuff you might expect to find in a university classroom, a museum project space or an international conference." How Pritzker Prize-winner Wang Shu is changing the shape of Chinese architecture Perrin Drumm, Core77, 6 March 2012 HANGZHOU, CHINA – "2012 Pritzker Prize-winner Wang Shu has a sense of design that's markedly different from the more typical style of slick, mass-produced architecture prevalent in China today. In fact, his work possesses an intentionally imperfect craftsmanship that is nonetheless "astonishingly beautiful," and his recent Pritzker win can be seen as a major victory for those who boldly reject popular Chinese architecture, something he calls "a learned and copied modern architecture from the Western world [with] no relation to our local life." Art Center College of Design Announces Acquisition of New Property and Partners With Michael Maltzan Architecture to Expand Educational Resources SF Gate, 6 March 2012 PASADENA, CA – "Art Center College of Design will expand its educational reach and resources with the acquisition of a former U.S. Postal Service property in Pasadena, Art Center President Dr. Lorne M. Buchman announced today. [text omitted] President Buchman further announced that the College has selected award-winning firm Michael Maltzan Architecture as its partner in fulfilling and expanding its academic plan through the re-imagining of existing spaces, and the forward-looking design of new ones, at both of the College's campuses." Frédéric Mitterrand en visite officielle à Chartres Jenna Charmasson, Connaissance des Arts, 6 mars 2012 CHARTRES, FRANCE – "Le ministre de la Culture et de la Communication a présenté lundi 5 mars un bilan de la politique gouvernementale en faveur de la restauration et de la valorisation du patrimoine religieux français. La cathédrale de Chartres, où s'est tenu le discours ministériel, a permis au ministre d'évoquer le "Plan Cathédrales," un plan de 25,6 MEUR, lancé pour restaurer une cinquantaine de cathédrales, et de faire le point sur son application en région Centre." Réouverture de la villa Tugendhat de Mies van der Rohe Connaissance des Arts, 6 mars 2012 BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC – "Fermée depuis janvier 2010 pour cause de rénovation, la villa Tugendhat a rouvert ses portes au public le 6 mars. Conçue par Mies van der Rohe entre 1928 et 1930, cette villa, située à Brno (République tchèque), était destinée à un couple d'industriels dont elle porte le nom." Is there more to architecture than sustainability? Alan Davies, Crikey, 5 March 2012 [GLOBAL] – "I think it's time to stop treating sustainability in architecture like it's the precocious child that needs to be singled out and lavished with constant attention for fear it will shrivel up and die. We don't single out many other performance attributes of buildings for special consideration – for example, structural integrity, economic efficiency, or user safety – but we keep treating sustainability as if it should be in the special needs class." Renowned Spanish Architect Rafael Moneo to receive prestigious Thomas Jefferson Foundation Award Recent News, artdaily.org, 5 March 2012 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – "The University of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello will present the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture on April 13 to Rafael Moneo, the Spanish architect known for innovative modern buildings that respect existing environments." Athletic builds: the architecture of the London 2012 Olympics You've seen the pool, the stadium and the velodrome – now here's the octopus-tentacle shooting range and the multicoloured rubber bridge. Steve Rose looks at the hidden architectural highlights of London 2012 Steve Rose, The Guardian, 5 March 2012 LONDON, ENGLAND – "For the first half of the 20th century, architecture featured as an Olympic event. Medals in the "culture games" were also awarded for sports-related endeavours in the fields of music, painting, literature and even town-planning. But the practice was abandoned after the 1948 games, when the last gold medals for architecture went to an Austrian ski-jump and an athletics centre in Finland. Architecture now has plenty of other awards to make up for the loss, including the Royal Institute of British Architects' own gold medal. But when it comes to London 2012 buildings, the podium places seem to have been decided already." La halle Freyssinet sauvée de la destruction Benoît Lafay, Connaissance des Arts, 5 mars 2012 PARIS, FRANCE – "Construite en béton précontraint entre 1927 et 1929 pour accueillir le fret de la gare d'Austerlitz, la halle Freyssinet a été inscrite au titre des Monuments historiques." How 'The New York Times' controls architecture criticism in America, whoever its critic may be Katharine Jose, Capital New York, 1 March 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "To the insular community of New York architects, it appears a profound transformation is happening in their discipline that hasn't been reflected in a lot of the standard criticism, whether it's more social and public-oriented, like [Michael] Kimmelman's, or aesthetic and industrial, like [Nicolai] Ouroussoff's. That was an important topic at an impressive forum held at the Center for Architecture earlier this week on the role of architectural criticism and how critics—and their publications—are adjusting to architects' own greatly changed approach to their work. Many of Kimmelman's colleagues were there: Paul Goldberger of The New Yorker, Cathleen McGuigan of Architectural Record, Justin Davidson of New York magazine, and James Russell of Bloomberg; moderating was Julie Iovine, executive editor of The Architect's Newspaper. Kimmelman himself was notably missing, which was probably for the best, given that the evening seemed at times an extensive criticism of the Times, and a lengthy, though mostly positive, review of his own performance these last six or so months. All of these critics said that the idea that the entire architectural press had become caught up with the star architects, and object architecture, was not accurate; but that to the extent it was true, it was a monster the Times created over the last decade or more. The Times, the panelists seemed to agree, had the most influence over how the public perceived what was happening in architecture." Libraries of the future? With Chicago's new library commissioner taking over this month, one prototype library design offers a solid mix of form and function while another falls short Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 1 March 2012 CHICAGO, IL – "What should a 21st Century library look like? To ask that question is to conjure futuristic visions--of libraries that resemble sleek Apple stores; of librarians who stroll around their branches with computer tablets, and of robots that stack books in shelves, provided, of course, there still are books. Such issues are no longer academic, not with a new library commissioner heading to Chicago, especially one from digitally-savvy San Francisco. The debut of new library commissioner Brian Bannon [text omitted], who is expected to start this month, gives Chicago a chance to think afresh about its libraries--and how good design can uplift the experience of the millions of people who use them." Back to Top Technology How Do You Document Your Creative Process? Nina Simon, Museum 2.0, 7 March 2012 SANTA CRUZ, CA – "Recently, my colleagues [at the Museum of Art & History, Santa Cruz] have gone wild for Pinterest. Pinterest is an online sharing tool that allows you to construct virtual bulletin boards to collect and display images from across the web. While some museums are using the tool in clever public-facing ways, that's not what's happening here at the MAH. At our museum, our programs team is using Pinterest to develop ideas for upcoming community events. As staff members and interns discover intriguing activities, products, or artwork on the web, individuals can "pin" items of interest to the boards for specific events (i.e. Fire Festival) or program types (Family Programs). This is particularly effective for us since interns and volunteers are significant contributors to our programmatic team and everyone is on different schedules. We can collaborate on Pinterest boards asynchronously, comment on what others add to the boards, and plan events based on the aggregated information. We're starting to use it for the early stages of exhibition planning as well." Electronic Mini-Books That Allow Writers to Stretch Their Legs Dwight Garner, The New York Times, 6 March 2012 UNITED STATES – "The Kindle Single is not a promising name. It sounds like a new kind of prefabricated fire log, or a type of person you might meet on the dating service eHarmony, or perhaps a lonely independent bookstore owner put out of business by Amazon.com. Here's what Kindle Singles actually are: probably the best reason to buy an e-reader in the first place. They're works of long-form journalism that seek out that sweet spot between magazine articles and hardcover books. Amazon calls them "compelling ideas expressed at their natural length." National Magazine Award Recognizes Utility of Poetry An Xiao, Hyperallergic, 2 March 2012 LOS ANGELES, CA – "The POETRY App has been selected as a finalist for a National Magazine Award for Digital Media. Put out by The Poetry Foundation, the app was honored as a "utility app," which puts it alongside others like Healthy Menu Maker and The Cut on the Runway, also finalists. As their press release noted, this is remarkable because the award basically recognizes that poetry — at least in the form of a cool app — has utility in our lives." Ryerson student creating a high-tech gesture database Niamh Scallan, Toronto Star, 1 March 2012 TORONTO, ON – "It's arguably one of the most striking scenes from Steven Spielberg's 2002 sci-fi flick Minority Report: a futuristic Tom Cruise uses his light-tipped, gloved fingers to flick through media files on computer screens before him. A decade on, that fictional glimpse into the year 2054 is looking more like reality inside a Ryerson University technology design lab, where a team of developers say they're months away from completing the world's first comprehensive database of human gestures. "It's like the next generation of multi-touch. It's a complete game-changer," said Adrian Bulzacki, a 29-year-old electrical and computer engineering PhD student behind the software — a universal user interface that allows people to control technology with body gestures." Canada tops globe in Internet usage Steve Ladurantaye, The Globe and Mail, 1 March 2012 CANADA – "It might be the long winters, or the national pastime of keeping tabs on Justin Bieber. Whatever the reason, Canadians are spending more time online than any other country, including highly wired societies such as China, South Korea and the United States. The average Canadian spends about 45 hours a month browsing the Internet, according to new figures from ComScore Inc. The majority of that time is spent on social networking sites such as Facebook." Back to Top Art and Culture Dispute between artist, developer would require a trial, judge rules James Adams, The Globe and Mail, 8 March 2012 TORONTO, ON – "Michael Snow has lost a bid to cut short his legal battle with a Toronto developer over a public artwork that the well-known Canadian artist was to have created for the downtown Festival Tower condominiums." Fundraising attempts to save house of noted Canadian poet Al Purdy Mark Abley (Postmedia News), Montreal Gazette, 7 March 2012 MONTRÉAL, QC – "The house that was constructed and inhabited for more than 40 years by one of our finest poets, Al Purdy, soon may be lost to the public, even demolished. Efforts to preserve it have so far failed to raise enough cash." L'Allemagne invoque un "accord tacite" pour ne pas appliquer la TVA normale sur les objets d'art Hélène Brunel, Le Journal des Arts, 7 mars 2012 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – "La Commission européenne a demandé officiellement à l'Allemagne de conformer sa législation sur la TVA au droit européen. L'Union lui reproche plus spécifiquement d'appliquer un taux de TVA réduit aux ventes d'objets d'art et de collection réalisées par des professionnels. Ce qui constitue une source de distorsions de concurrence au sein de l'Union et entre États. Soutenu par la scène culturelle nationale, le ministre allemand de la Culture dénonce une telle requête." Damien Hirst retrospective at Tate Modern from April 4 to June 24 2012 The Telegraph, 7 March 2012 LONDON, ENGLAND – "Was Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull a work of genius from one of Britain's most talented artists? Or a tacky symbol of excess and an art market "drunk with money," as one critic put it? Now the public can decide for itself as the skull, titled For The Love of God, is to go on public display in Britain for the first time. It will be exhibited in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall from April 4 - June 24 2012 to accompany a major retrospective of the artist's work." En mode écoute du milieu culturel François Houde, Le Nouvelliste, 7 mars 2012 TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QC – "Le nouveau directeur des arts et de la culture à Trois-Rivières est en poste depuis lundi. Benoît Gauthier en est encore à l'étape de la prise de connaissance des dossiers, lui qui a eu énormément de travail au cours des dernières semaines pour simplement compléter son mandat à titre de directeur général du Musée québécois de culture populaire." Le groupe d'activistes Occupy Museums organise une foire d'art contemporain à New York Doriane Lacroix Tsarantanis, Le Journal des Arts, 7 mars 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "Le 22 septembre 2011, les indignés avaient perturbé une vente de Sotheby's à New York, orientant ainsi l'action du mouvement Occupy Wall Street contre certains aspects du marché de l'art. Ce fut le début d'une longue série de manifestations, dont la plus récente consiste à concurrencer l'Armory Show." La France condamne l'arrestation de la photographe iranienne Tahmineh Monzavi Christine Coste, Le Journal des Arts, 7 mars 2012 TEHRAN, IRAN – "La photographe iranienne Tahmineh Monzavi a été arrêtée sans raison le 19 février 2012 par les autorités de son pays. La France condamne fermement cette arrestation." Governor General's Performing Arts Awards honours Rush, Mary Walsh, Deepa Mehta and Des McAnuff Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star, 6 March 2012 CALGARY, AB – "The 20th anniversary of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards was celebrated in Calgary on Tuesday morning, honouring a group that reflects both geographic and cultural diversity. The awards honoured concert soloists as well as rock musicians, artists from the worlds of theatre, film, comedy and dance, and geographic representation from coast to coast." La Chine veut aussi miser sur les industries culturelles Chloé da Fonseca, Le Journal des Arts, 6 March 2012 BEIJING, CHINA – "Dans un rapport rendu le 5 mars, Wen Jiabao, Premier ministre chinois, a affirmé qu'il souhaite promouvoir les réformes et le développement du système culturel de son pays. La Chine souhaite faire de l'industrie culturelle l'un des piliers de son économie." CPPCC member calls to boost indigenous culture Wu jin, China.org, 6 March 2012 CHINA – "Ling Chi sat quietly at a corner of the conference room provided for Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's federation of women. With her grey hair cut short, Ling touted little of her rebellious past with her muted garments and mild demeanor. Yet the formidable CPPCC member is the daughter of the late marshal Ye Jianying, who was among the 10 Chinese marshals who succeeded in revolting against the infamous "Gang of Four" to end the Cultural Revolution and paving the way for China's ensuing reform and opening up. [text omitted] Facing the media, however, Ling's decisive and critical nature seeped through. She said after the federation's group discussion Monday that the country's indigenous culture should be preserved for good, while revealing her abhorrence to U.S.'s "invasive culture." "The reason that China persisted for 5,000 years is that it has a culture that distinguished itself from other civilizations," Ling, vice director of the International Confucian Association, said. "We hold a multilateral outlook and respect cultures that are different from us. We are friendly toward them and share interests with them." Fuzhou eyes advances in cultural industry China Daily, 6 March 2012 FUZHOU, CHINA – "In 2012, Fuzhou will speed up construction on 55 key creative industry projects and focus on fostering a batch of crucial parks at the national and provincial level. The city's goals for the expansion of its creative industry this year include the start of construction on the Fujian-Taiwan Creative Industry Park, an application for the approval of a State-level creative industry demonstrative park and the preliminary development of a modern creative industry sector that is distinctive to Fuzhou. In 2012, Fuzhou will proactively promote the inclusion of Sanfang Qixiang Business Street and the Fujian Shipping Culture Complex in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and participate in the nomination of the maritime Silk Road for recognition as a World Heritage. It will also complete the construction of the Sanfang Qixiang Community Museum Concentrated Display Area in an effort to develop museums." Artists coalition makes final push to change copyright bill Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail, 6 March 2012 CANADA – "Canadian artists are making a last-ditch effort to change new copyright legislation before it goes to Parliament for a final vote next month. An unprecedented coalition of 68 groups representing visual artists, performers, writers, composers, musicians and publishers has presented a parliamentary committee with 20 possible technical amendments to Bill C-11, the government’s proposed copyright law, the Canadian Conference of the Arts said on Tuesday." [See also Contre une société de plagiaires, By Stéphane Baillargeon, Le Devoir, 7 mars 2012] Premiers pas pour protéger les ateliers d'artistes du Mile-End Frédérique Doyon, Le Devoir, 6 mars 2012 MONTRÉAL, QC – "Les travailleurs culturels du Mile-End, ce quartier de Montréal le plus densément peuplé d'artistes au pays, respirent mieux. L'arrondissement du Plateau-Mont-Royal a adopté hier des règlements visant à modifier le plan d'urbanisme dans le secteur névralgique de Saint-Viateur Est afin de protéger les ateliers d'artistes. Ce règlement impose carrément un moratoire sur le développement résidentiel." Les craintes des archéologues grecs face aux incertitudes budgétaires Doriane Lacroix Tsarantanis, Le Journal des Arts, 6 mars 2012 ATHENS, GREECE – "À l'occasion du 25e congrès archéologique de Salonique, annonçant les résultats annuels des fouilles réalisées sur le territoire, les archéologues s'interrogent sérieusement sur l'éventualité de ré-enfouir les vestiges par mesure de sécurité, compte tenu du manque de moyens et du climat d'austérité régnant en Grèce." Hong Kong's Art Scene Sprouts Buds Artfix Daily, 5 March 2012 HONG KONG – "Beijing and Shanghai have long had significant art scenes, and been home to a number of notable artists, such as Beijing's high-profile Ai Weiwei (who just sold his "Sunflower Seeds 2010" to the Tate Modern for an undisclosed amount). Yet, it is Hong Kong that has fast become a contender in the art world; known for its trade and finance the city is poised to become Asia's art capital. Beginning in 2007, the former British territory has held the position of world's third largest art auction market, after New York and London. As of 2008, Hong Kong has hosted a successful contemporary art fair; the inaugural edition drew 19,000 visitors, and representatives from 100 galleries, numbers that have more than doubled. Hong Kong's artist community, however, is still small and the expense of living in the city means that artists must often work day jobs to support themselves.  Finding open studio space is also tricky. Also lacking was a significant museum, but now plans are underway for a contemporary art museum, which would open to the public in 2018.  An international competition for the building design will be held this year and plans include 20,000 square meters of exhibition space.  The ambitious project aims to rival with New York's Museum of Modern Art and London's Tate Modern." Ringleader Reveals He Faked Many More Works Der Spiegel, 5 March 2012 GERMANY – "In October 2011, what is likely Germany's biggest-ever postwar art scandal came to an end when forger Wolfgang Beltracchi was sentenced to six years in prison. As the ringleader of the operation, he was found guilty of counterfeiting 14 paintings by six well-known artists including Heinrich Campendonk, Fernand Léger and Max Ernst, costing damages of an estimated €34 million ($45 million). Beltracchi and three accomplices were sentenced after just nine days at the Cologne District Court, with the defendants receiving shorter sentences in exchange for full confessions. But in a SPIEGEL interview the 61-year-old has now admitted to creating phoney works by "about 50" different artists." [See also Convicted forger claims he faked 'about 50' artists, BBC News, 7 March 2012] Detroit Redux Wayne Northcross, Hyperallergic, 5 March 2012 DETROIT, MI – "Detroit is a myth. In a twisted, ironic way, the city has become an art-world Shangri-La, a place where artists are discovering — thanks in part to insanely low rents — creative possibilities to remake and reform a large geographic area with public art projects, interventions and community building. Detroit has become a rich backdrop for contemporary art." Mural program brings a tinge of hope to Mantua Kia Gregory, Philly.com, 5 March 2012 PHILADELPHIA, PA – "In the last year, the 3800 block of Melon Street in Mantua, known as "the Bottom" for its position on the map of West Philadelphia, has been transformed into a work of art. [text omitted] The facades of almost all of the houses, even the abandoned ones, were painted through a grand Mural Arts Program project. The result is a bright block mosaic, similar to houses in the hills of South America, that draws attention to the forgotten people. [text omitted] Dozens of youths worked alongside the artists and were linked to social services, with some moving from shelters into permanent housing. The art house also served as an information hub for housing, legal aid, health care, and employment." Curious New Dallas Biennale Is Definitely Not Texas-Sized Kyle Chayka, Blouin Artinfo, 5 March 2012 DALLAS, TX – "When it comes to the biennale circuit, the United States doesn't quite stand up to the rest of the world. The Whitney Biennial presents a mandatory stop for all New York art-world cognoscenti, but there's nothing to rival the large-scale, international exhibitions of Venice, Gwangju, or Kassel. (New Orleans' Prospect Biennial gave it a go in 2008 but seemed to lose steam with Prospect.2 in 2011.) In an unconventional move, the newly announced Dallas Biennale, organized by local art museum Dallas Contemporary and opening March 29, is trying to make a virtue of its own obvious minor-ness. It's not entirely clear if the new event is meant as a sincere play at biennial-dom, as a kind of satire of biennials, or as both at once." Canadian Music Industry Wants Its Own Lawful Access: Subscriber Disclosure Without a Court Order Michael Geist, Michael Geist Blog, 5 March 2012 CANADA – "Last week I wrote about the astonishing demands of the Canadian music industry as it seeks a massive overhaul of Bill C-11, the copyright reform bill. The Canadian Independent Music Association is seeking changes to the enabler provision that would create liability risk for social networking sites, search engines, blogging platforms, video sites, and many other websites featuring third party contributions. If that were not enough, it is also calling for a new iPod tax, an extension in the term of copyright, a removal of protections for user generated content, parody, and satire, as well as an increase in statutory damage awards." Las Vegas: Curtains to open on Smith Center for the Performing Arts Downtown Las Vegas' Smith Center for the Performing Arts, set for a March 10 opening, will help fill a community's thirst for culture. Jay Jones, Special to the Los Angeles Times, 4 March 2012 LAS VEGAS, NV – "Reporting from Las Vegas —Myron Martin was in fourth grade when he attended an opera at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston. [text omitted] That was the catalyst for a career in the performing arts that would take him from Texas to Broadway and, eventually, to Las Vegas. Las Vegas? The same Vegas where a lap dance qualifies as a cultural experience? The very same. Beginning March 10, Martin and company will redefine what passes for a good time in Sin City. The man who was the starry-eyed schoolkid is now at the helm of Vegas' new Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a repurposed former railroad switchyard where expanses of marble and original artworks provide the backdrop for a varied lineup of theater and concerts." Harper government helped finance Calgary music centre despite bureaucrat concerns Peter O'Neil, Edmonton Journal, 4 March 2012 OTTAWA, ON – "The Harper government agreed to conditionally contribute $25 million in late 2010 to construct a national music centre in Calgary, despite concerns expressed by bureaucrats about the proponent's ability to secure sufficient private financing, according to newly released documents. The $132.5 million project is also behind the construction schedule the proponent committed to at the time of the announcement, the more than 1,000 pages of records obtained through the Access to Information Act show. Cantos Music Foundation president Andrew Mosker, who is spearheading the music centre, says fundraising timing has had to change, but is doing well after a renewed commitment from the provincial government." Where to Find a Creative Class Job in 2020 Richard Florida, The Atlantic Cities, 2 March 2012 UNITED STATES – "This week, I've been looking at the projected growth in jobs across American metros. My last post charted the projected growth in service jobs; I also looked at blue-collar gigs. Today, I look at the projected growth in higher-paying, higher-skill jobs that make up the creative class. More than 43 million people are currently employed in creative class work, a third of the workforce, in fields like science, technology, and engineering; business, finance, and management; law; health care; education; and arts, culture, media, and entertainment. Though nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of college graduates go on to do this kind of work, four in 10 creative class workers do not hold college degrees, according to analysis by my colleagues at the  Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI). Simply holding a creative class job adds about the same amount to wages as having an additional one and a half years of higher education, according to research by economist Todd Gabe. Overall, the U.S. is projected to add nearly 7 million new creative class jobs by 2020, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections." Some Reflections on the Relationship between Supply and Demand in the Formalized Arts Sector Adrian Ellis, Grantmakers in the Arts, 2 March 2012 [Published in GIA Reader, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Winter 2012)] UNITED STATES – "The key issue is not how big the sector is in terms of dollars but, rather, how those dollars are allocated. In 2010, Grantmakers in the Arts reopened, or rejoined, a long-running discussion about how funders' approaches to grantmaking can have a profound effect on the underlying viability of grantees — because of how they give, not just how much they give. The discussion was precipitated by the awareness that while the sector has grown, it has not necessarily strengthened over the past few decades; and that the economic collapse of 2007–8 revealed how weak the collective balance sheet — and hand-to-mouth the existence — of the 501(c)(3) arts sector really is. GIA has subsequently disseminated a Common Set of Practices that is designed to encourage funding bodies to do what they can to encourage consolidation." Montreal builds its cultural brand – one building at a time Robert Everett-Green, The Globe and Mail, 2 March 2012 MONTRÉAL, QC – "Montreal Museum of Fine Arts director Nathalie Bondil likes to call her museum a village. It's an apt word for the heterogeneous buildings that cluster around a pair of intersections on Sherbrooke Street and that now include the new Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art and concert hall. [text omitted] A complex village – that may also be a good description of the increasing agglomeration of cultural buildings in the city core. Montreal has always had a vibrant culture, but these days there's a new will to intensify it, by raising new buildings and emphasizing the links between them." Le Cambodge demande à Sotheby’s de lui restituer une sculpture khmère Chloé da Fonseca, Le Journal des Arts, 2 mars 2012 NEW YORK, NY – "Le gouvernement cambodgien demande à Sotheby's New York la restitution d'une sculpture khmère du Xe siècle qui serait issue du pillage du site religieux de Koh Ker, où il ne reste aujourd'hui que les pieds et le socle de la statue disparue. Sotheby's, sans reconnaître la provenance illégale du bien, est prête à collaborer pour le retour de la statue guerrière au Cambodge." Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) announces Kim Adams as 2012 Iskowitz Prize winner MuseumPublicity.com, 2 March 2012 TORONTO, ON – "Sculptor and installation artist Kim Adams is the winner of the 2012 Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) for his remarkable contribution to the visual arts in Canada over four decades. The AGO and the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation will celebrate the award with a reception and exhibition of Adams' work to be held in December 2012, marking the artist’s second solo showing at the Gallery." La culture, c’est comme la confiture Tristan Malavoy-Racine, Voir, 29 février 2012 MONTRÉAL, QC – "Connaissez-vous Culture Montréal? Oui et non, n'est-ce pas? Je m'en doutais. L'organisation a beau avoir célébré son 10e anniversaire le 28 février, elle a encore tout d'un OVNI dans le paysage montréalais. Créé par Simon Brault et un petit groupe de visionnaires, Culture Montréal est un mouvement citoyen qui a pour objectif de favoriser ici la création et la diffusion des arts sous toutes leurs formes, et, dans une perspective plus large, de positionner la ville comme métropole culturelle. Vaste programme, oui, mais auquel se dédient les membres de Culture Montréal avec une énergie et un sens de l'action peu communs. Ces dernières années, ce regroupement basé sur l'implication bénévole a accompagné la Ville dans l'élaboration de sa première politique de développement culturel et a conçu "Rendez-vous Montréal," qui allait réunir 1300 personnes en novembre 2007 et doter la métropole d'un plan d'action culturel échelonné sur dix ans." Arts programs help students improve in all areas, group says Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune, 28 February 2012 CHICAGO, IL – "Arts programming was a factor leading to improved standardized test scores at three schools in Chicago over three years, according to a report released today by the educational arts non-profit Changing Worlds and Loyola University. The study is just the latest calling for more arts education in Chicago Public Schools. With the district moving to a longer school day next year, the Chicago Teachers Union and parent groups like Raise Your Hand have called for more time devoted to enrichment classes like music and art and less time devoted to test preparation." Arts Council England to embed environmental sustainability into funding Arts Council England, 24 February 2012 ENGLAND – "Speaking at the Tipping Point conference in Newcastle, Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England has today announced that the Arts Council is the first arts funding body in the world to embed environmental sustainability into the funding agreements of its major programmes. As a minimum requirement, National portfolio organisations and Major Partner museums will need to measure and improve their water and energy use. The Arts Council is committed to embedding environmental sustainability into all of its funding programmes over the next three years. Alan Davey also announced the Arts Council's new partnership with leading arts environmental specialists Julie's Bicycle. This is an enabling partnership, designed to provide practical support and expertise for funded organisations and empower them to develop innovative approaches to sustainability. [text omitted] Arts Council England has also published an Environmental sustainability report, which looks at our own environmental impact and the impact of changes made in technical performance, use of resources and organisational behaviours. The report shows that there has been a 31 per cent reduction in our electricity, gas and water bills since 2008/09, equivalent to a 40 per cent reduction in Co2 emissions." Back to Top Urban Planning, Tourism, Cities Telling a City's Story Through Sound Charles R. Wolfe, The Atlantic Cities, 5 March 2012 [GLOBAL] – "As I've recently written, visual urban nostalgia has a place in today's dialogue about cities. Historical photos, videos and reconstructions of a pre-car era are all sources of inspiration for a more sustainable urban future. And they are brought to us, by and large, by the internet. Click on a link, and the romanticized past appears as a visual analogue to a sound byte about "then and now." But what about the sound byte itself? [text omitted] Study of "soundscapes" - particularly in the urban environment - has grown from its foundation in Vancouver by R. Murray Schafer in the 1960s. The urban soundscape is an increasing focal point worldwide. Sound-based urban initiatives appear both as prospective planning tools and as historical, documentary exercises to inform an urban past." Navy Pier design competition: No decision announced yet for remake of public spaces Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 5 March 2012 CHICAGO, IL – "There's been a delay--so far, a slight one--in the selection of a winning plan for redeveloping Navy Pier's public spaces. When pier officials unveiled five redesign plans in late January, the expectation was that they would announce a winning team, or teams, by the end of February." Museums, vertical parking lots for city Festival complex, film city too on the cards: Governor Staff Reporter, The Hindu, 2 March 2012 KARNATAKA, INDIA – "The capital city would house a National Museum of History of Freedom Struggle, a numismatic museum and a modern scientific art gallery, Governor H.R. Bhardwaj said here on Thursday in his address to the State Assembly. The government would focus on digitisation of records in archival repositories and on the establishment of heritage centres and conservation of monuments. A memorial to commemorate the State Congress Conference, which triggered the freedom movement in Travancore, would be constructed at Vattiyoorkkavu, the Governor said. A scientific art gallery would be set up by the Museum and Zoo Department in the coming year. The Kerala Lalithakala Academy would institute a memorial for renowned painter Raja Ravi Varma at Kilimanoor." Youth travel: building the future of tourism through backpacks Anita Mendiretta, CNN Task Group/eTurboNews, 1 March 2012 [GLOBAL] – "Youth Travelers, who, through their journeys, are pollinating the future of the industry. Without them, there is no hope of our sector blossoming, of the future of T&T growing across the globe. Their current contribution to global tourism activity is strong, double-digit strong. In 2011, the Youth Travel segment accounted for a huge 20 percent of international arrivals. As the global T&T sector as a whole reaches 1 billion travelers this year, at current rates of growth and contribution, Youth Travel is estimated to reach a remarkable 200,000,000 (Source: WYSE/UNWTO). In the words of the segment, OMG!" The Future Metropolis Index: U.S. Cities With The Best Urban Policies A new study breaks down the different factors that make a city livable (innovation, sustainability, safety). Where did your city rank? Ariel Schwartz, Co.Exist, 6 March 2012 UNITED STATES – "Want to live in a city that's innovative, sustainable, vibrant, efficient, and eminently livable? Move to San Francisco. That's the conclusion of the Future Metropolis Index, a study commissioned by Zipcar that examines the 36 largest cities in the country through the five dimensions listed above. Innovation was measured based on the amount of wireless hot spots and universities per 10,000 residents; sustainability was ranked on the miles of bike lanes and paths, as well as percent of hybrid cars; vibrancy was measured based on the amount of park acres and arts-related jobs and business; efficiency rankings were based on the number of workers using public transportation and public transportation trips as a percent of the area’s population; and livability was measured based on unemployment, violent crime rates, and property crime rates." How the Motor City Got Its Groove Back Home to a burgeoning concentration of tech start-ups and incubators, Detroit's "Webward Avenue" is not just a street--it's also a movement. Can it transform Detroit? Tim Donnelly, Inc.com, 1 March 2012 DETROIT, MI – "Crumbling cities aren't supposed to be this popular. For the most recent Startup Weekend in Detroit in mid-February, organizer Brandon Chesnutt cap attendance at 120, and still had people banging down his door. "We literally just ran out of space," Chesnutt says. "I can't go an hour without getting e-mail from somebody wanting to attend." The most popular Startup Weekend in the city's history took place inside the M@dison building, a modern five-story start-up Mecca that—as home to several VC firms and many of their portfolio companies—is part of the groundwork for a tech-centered rebirth of Detroit. The building is the brainchild of Dan Gilbert of Quicken Loans, who has been making it his crusade to reignite Detroit's downtown by buying property, seeding ventures, and moving thousands of Quicken employees into the area." Back to Top
	Creating Cultural Capital
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